My heart sank. I’d dreaded those words for years. GAPS. Really? Are you sure?

A Little Background

To recap in case you’re new here, my 3 year old Arthur suffered with typical modern health problems from day one. First reflux, colic, and unusually poor sleep; then eczema, an agitated nervous system, cranky temperament, and constipation appeared. All this despite a nutrient-dense real food diet, nontoxic products, and years of working holistically on my health, plus exclusive breastfeeding and no antibiotics for him ever, blah blah blah.

As my husband said yesterday morning, What does it take? It was–and still is–painful to discover that doing it all “right” doesn’t come with a guarantee.

Well, hello there.

I’m still here, doing life in Farmington, New Mexico. But–oh my–how life has changed in a year’s time!

There’s the new baby, of course. Shouldn’t that count as 10 major life events? I’ve been soaking it up and crying it out and praying and rejoicing and being t.i.r.e.d. Truth? It’s all been worth it, but the fog has been thick and long. Apparently me + new baby = disappearing for a year.

Meanwhile we sailed the sea of major work and social changes. We continued pursuing our personal growth, which has taken some unexpected directions. And oh yes, I almost forgot, we’ve had some health challenges. The health stuff again! Sometimes I’m just sick to death of thinking/doing/searching/living/writing health.

But . . . it’s real. This is our path, and friends have asked me to share more of our story and experiments and resources. Which means I’m returning to Alison’s List to write and update. So stay tuned for resources! And food! And GAPS! And Functional Medicine experiments! And baby and postpartum stuff! You get the idea.

To help me ease into this little love/hate affair, I want to start with a family update. Indulge me? [Read more…]